Do you play your EVH?

[hbucker]

I purchased my EVH new in '93. While I've played it almost monthly since I bought it and I've even taken it to rehearsals a few times, I've never gigged with it and it rarely just sits on my guitar stand.

Originally I was going to keep it as mint as possible for collector reasons. Then I realized I never have any intention of selling it so why should I keep it nice for the guy who owns it? Even with it's best value it will never make me rich. So I've started playing it more. But I'm still more cautious with it than any of my other guitars.

Any EVH owners here who play, rehearse, gig regularly with their EVH's or do you try to keep it nice? I can argue this approach more easily than I can the idea of just keeping it in the case. But since It's probably the most collectable guitar I'll ever own, every little mark and bit of fretwear does hurt more than on my other guitars.

Opinions?

 

[dwf1004]

Considering that both of mine were purchased via the eBay route, I can't specifcally say that mine were either mint on purchase (pretty damn near close, with a here and there scratch), nor were they intended to be stuck in a box/case to be displayed. I play mine, and I enjoy it. Greatly.

Now mind you, I don't beat the hell out of mine, under any circumstance. I make every last effort to keep 'em looking good, such as staying away from locations/situations that could cause me to hit things, like walls, doors, my girlfriend , and what not. If I do tap something, the world stops until I investigate and the all clear is sounded. I also wash my hands previous to playing in order to get the oils off of my hands (thanks norm!), etc., as well as a wipe down with an old T-shirt after playing to remove anything, ie. sweat, oil, smudges, beer, etc. that may have accumulated during our session together.

Finally, I'm a big fan (but a tad busy/lazy as of recent) of the cleaning process using Murphy's Oil on the neck and body, as well as oiling/waxing the neck on a semi-annual basis. Keeps the wood looking good, and everything happy (including me).

So there you have it....the moral of the story, kids: don't beat the hell out of them, and keep 'em clean. They'll be there for ya for many years to come.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I play mine (purple hard tail) and treat it no different to any other of my MM guitars. They are beautiful pieces, but at the end of the day they are just tools really. A workmans wrench if you like.

All my MM guitars have dings, dents, scratches, wear and tear, some have been re-fretted, some have new switches and saddles. Some have new hiscox cases as the old ones fell to bits!

I would never miss-treat my guitars, but wear is unavoidable when you are doing 3 or 4 gigs a week.

Buying for investment is one thing, but my axes are all players! Hanging an EBMM on a wall is a crime! Hell with the value, take em out and play em loud! If they get a ding here and there, who cares?

Tim.

 

[puppiesonacid]

i understand what your saying hbucker. when i got my petrucci... i felt wierd having such an expensive guitar in my hands. i had it in my head that i HAD to be extremely careful... almost like it wasnt mine. its worn off a bit, but im still polishing it after each time i play it, and washing my hands before i play it, inspecting it up and down. but the other day i put a small, only noticable scratch in the headstock when trying to cut the extra string off with a crappy set of cutters. after that i feel more like its mine hahaha.

when i first got it, and after i got my problems worked out (which all went away after the 4th week!!! idk, you figure it out) i often thought of selling it and buying two or three cheaper, less stressful if i dent/scratch kind of guitars that would be on par in terms of performance. but there really isnt any and i think i would regret it. so instead... im going to slowly save again for another so i can have it for backup when playing out and as for bragging rights hahaha jk. its that or an OLP which definetly wont be the same but definetly wont be as costly. anways... just my two cents.


God bless,

Tony